


Where Demons Sleep

by TheAwkwardLadyJay



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Awkward Breakfasts, Dark is a dick, Demon Anti, First Meetings, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, but he cares, mark is to nice for his own good, this might turn into a slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-04-30 23:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14507685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAwkwardLadyJay/pseuds/TheAwkwardLadyJay
Summary: Mark has always been told to make his bed, otherwise, the Devil will come sleep in it. He never believed this story. Until the Devil himself shows up to prove him wrong.





	1. Speak of the Devil

**Author's Note:**

> Yooooo, what's up?  
> This story is based on a comic I saw on discord by [Fran Krause](http://frankrause.tumblr.com/) that I thought was really cute and fit these two really well. I have more of this story planned but I'm not sure when I'll be able to write it so don't expect much from this one. But I hope you guys enjoy it all the same.

Mark blinked at his computer tiredly. His eyes itched. He rubbed at them before continuing his typing. He needed to get this project finished tonight. He couldn’t afford to fall any farther behind. The quiet sounds of his apartment and the clacking of the keyboard lulled him even farther into a drowse. He tried to shake himself awake but his eyelids continually slipped shut.

Eventually, he shook his head and closed his computer down. There was no point in continuing to work when he could barely keep his eyes open. A wide yawn left his mouth and he stood, stretching his arms over his head. He glanced around the kitchen, wrinkling his nose at the mess he had yet to clean up from dinner. He sighed and started on the dishes. He would hate himself in the morning if he didn’t clean these now.

He had just turned on the water and started scrubbing when a noise from down the hall made him pause. He slowly turned the water back off and listened, every muscle tensed. The noise came again. It sounded like footsteps.

Mark felt his heart drop. Someone was in his house.

His mother had always told him that if he lived alone for too long, this was going to happen. He had never believed her, of course. But here he was, reaching for a kitchen knife and preparing to protect himself from an intruder.

Gripping his weapon tightly, he followed the footsteps. His stomach twisted when he realized they were coming from his bedroom. He pressed his back against the door and inhaled slowly. He had one shot at reprehending the person. He couldn’t screw it up. He exhaled harshly and leapt into the room, knife held out in front of him and a stern glare furrowing his brows. “Who are you and what do you want?”

A surprised yelp left the intruder’s mouth and they tumbled from the bed, landing in a heap on the floor.

If the situation wasn’t so dire, Mark would have laughed.

The pile of a person groaned and heaved themselves into a sitting position. Mark squinted at them, trying to see in the dark to no avail. He could see the person moving but he couldn’t tell what they were doing. He kept the knife focused on them and flicked on the light.

Immediately, he was frozen. The person wasn’t actually a person. They looked male, with dark green hair and a slim form but they were clearly not human. He wasn’t sure what they were but they had horns and a tail and their eyes were an unnaturally vibrant green. The knife slipped from his fingers and landed on the carpet with a soft thud.

Immediately, the creature was moving. It skittered under the bed before Mark could even think to stop it. For a few moments, Mark just stood, still staring at the spot the creature had been sitting. He blinked once, rubbing at his eyes. He apparently had been awake longer than he had thought. He shook his head. There was no way what he had just seen was real. It had to be a hallucination.

He leaned down to pick up the knife, his paranoid mind making him look under the bed as he did so. His breath caught in his throat.

Two glowing green eyes stared back at him. The creature’s horns glowed a soft green as well, illuminating its face perfectly. It stared at him for a moment before a slow, sharp-toothed smile spread across its face.

“What the hell?” Mark whispered.

The creature slowly crawled out from under the bed. Mark scrambled a couple feet away, one wary eye staying on the creature.

“I’m surprised you haven’t run yet. Most people flee when they catch me in their beds.”

“You must be pretty bad in bed then.” Mark sucked in a breath as soon as the words left his mouth. He hadn’t meant to say that.

The creature’s eyes lit up and it giggled. It stepped towards Mark until his back was against the wall, its face mere inches from his own, “Quite the contrary, actually. Once I get someone in bed with me, they never want to leave.”

Mark swallowed thickly. “Oh?” his voice quavered.

The creature smirked and leaned forward a little bit more until their noses were almost touching. “Do you want me to show you?”

For a split second, Mark wanted to say yes. The creature was undoubtedly attractive, with its slim waist and godly hips. If it was anybody else, Mark wouldn’t even hesitate to agree to the offer. But this wasn’t just anybody. This was a monster that had broken into his home. He couldn’t just sleep with it when he knew nothing about it! It could kill him for all he knew. Ignoring the heavy feeling in his gut, he pushed the creature away. “No, that’s okay. I believe you.”

For a moment, disappointment shadowed the green eyes but it was gone as soon as it had appeared. The creature shrugged and stepped back. “Okay, your loss.”

A silence fell between them. Mark fidgeted quietly as the creature continued to stare at him, its green eyes full of amusement. It knew what its offer had done to Mark. He felt a blush sneak onto his cheeks.

“Why are you in my house, anyway? And what’s with the… horns?” He broke the silence, hoping to distract the creature from his problem.

Luckily for him, it actually worked. The creature’s eyes widened and its smirk disappeared. “I’ve never actually been asked that before.”

Mark raised an eyebrow, “You break into people’s houses often, I take it.”

The creature nodded, its grin returning, “Every night. Most people don’t even notice me, so don’t feel too bad about it.” Mark’s jaw set unhappily and the creature sighed, “I don’t steal anything. I just come in, take a nap, and then leave before the owner even knows I’m there.”

“Okay, this is ridiculous.” Mark muttered, “Nobody breaks into someone’s house just to take a nap. You have your own bed, don’t you? Just sleep there.”

The creature scrunched its eyebrows, “You really don’t know what I am, do you? Let me introduce myself, then. I’m the Devil.”

Mark choked on his next breath. He stared at the creature in horror. “The Devil?”

“At least, I’m a part of the Devil. Until I find the other three parts, I’m stuck wandering the world with no home or bed of my own. So I use other people’s unmade beds to sleep. Only when they’re not using them, of course. And only when they’re unmade. I may be Satan, but I’m not that much of an asshole.”

Mark shook his head. His mother had always told him stories of this, threatening that if he left his bed unmade, the Devil would lay in it. He had always considered these stories simple fairy tales. After all, the Devil wasn't real. And yet here he was, standing a mere few feet away from Satan himself.

The Devil waited expectantly for him to respond but when he didn’t, he shrugged, “I guess this is my cue to leave. Hope you sleep well.” The words sounded much more ominous than they should have.

Before the creature could get all of the way out of the room, Mark grabbed its wrist, “Wait, where are you going?”

The Devil blinked at him in surprise, “Away? To find a different bed to sleep in.”

Mark had no idea what he was doing but there was something in him that could not let this creature leave his house. “You can use my bed. I’m not going to use it tonight. And it’s still unmade.”

The Devil stared at him, “Seriously? You’re going to invite me to sleep in your bed, knowing what I am? Are you insane?”

“I’m starting to think I am, yeah.” Mark replied, letting out a soft chuckle.

The Devil smiled and turned to face him, giving him a quick once over before lifting a hand, “You can call me Anti.”

“I’m Mark.”

They shook hands and then stood awkwardly. Eventually, Anti wandered over to the bed, “I hope you don’t mind but I really do need to sleep.”

“Oh, yeah, right. Well, good night then.” He paused before adding a hopeful, “I’ll see you in the morning?”

The Devil’s eyes widened in surprise but he nodded hesitantly, “Yeah, maybe.”

Mark smiled and flipped off the lights, slowly wandering back to his kitchen. He sat down in front of his dark computer and ran a hand through his hair. “What did I just do?” he muttered into the silence.

After a few minutes of contemplating the possible consequences for his brash actions, he started his computer up. There was no point in worrying about what was going to happen. He had made a decision and now he was going to live with the consequences. He started typing where he had left off, doing his best to push the thought of the attractive stranger in his bed to the back of his mind until morning.


	2. Dine with the Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark was sure his encounter with the odd creature in his bedroom was all a dream. Until he wakes up to the smell of bacon and the creature peacefully cooking it.
> 
> Mark has some questions and Anti does his best to answer them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, here's chapter two. I was hoping to have this up earlier this week but it was my sister's wedding today, so things have been a little hectic lately. But I hope ya'll enjoy this! Also, if you notice any mistakes in the way I refer to Anti, please let me know. This is the first time I've written a character with 'it' pronouns so I'm sure there are a couple of slips here and there I missed.

Mark woke to an aching back and the uncomfortable plastic of his keyboard pressed into his cheek. Then there was the smell of bacon. He sat up with a groan, stretching and rubbing his protesting spine. Why had he decided to sleep at the table of all places? And why did his kitchen smell like bacon?

“Oh, good. I was starting to think you were never going to wake up.”

Mark nearly fell in his rush to stand and turn to the voice. He stared at the creature leaning against his counter, wide-eyed. “Holy fuck. You’re real. It wasn’t a dream.”

Anti grinned, its unnaturally sharp teeth making Mark shudder, “You’re a strange man, Mark.” Before Mark could respond, the creature busied itself with the bacon, delicately scooping it onto a plate and placing it on the counter between them with a welcoming gesture, “For letting me stay the night. It’s the least I could do.”

“No, the least you could have done was make the bed before you left,” Mark responded, poking at the bacon before grabbing a piece, “Making me breakfast is a little overboard.”

Anti looked confused, “Should I have left? I was under the impression you wanted me to stay.” Its gaze turned sultry, “For more than just companionship.”

A blush spread across Mark’s face. He shoved the bacon in his mouth and looked away. Anti watched him chew with amusement glinting in its bright, green eyes. Mark coughed uncomfortably before responding, “I don’t mind you staying. I just didn’t think you would. I never thought the Devil would be a social creature.”

Anti rolled its eyes, “You humans are always giving things stories, then telling them wrong. It’s no surprise I’m perceived as the wretched king of Hell. That’s really not how it works.” It pierced a strip of bacon on one of its claws and started chewing on it.

Mark tilted his head, keeping his eyes on Anti’s to avoid looking at the deadly talons, “What do you mean?”

“First of all, Hell doesn’t exist. It’s hard to be king of something that isn’t real. Second, I’m not your typical soul-sucking, deal-making demon. I work more like the Fae. You give me something, I give you something. No tricks or take-backsies. The only thing you did get right about me was my power. When I’m whole, I am unstoppable.” Anti finished the bacon and skewered another piece, chomping on it happily.

Mark swiped his own piece of bacon, “What do you mean ‘when you’re whole’? You look pretty whole to me.”

Anti raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, the creature started twitching and glitching, parts of its body disappearing completely before reappearing a few centimeters out of line with the rest of it. A low static-like hum surrounded the creature, only getting louder when it opened its mouth. “Are you sure about that?”

“Oh.” Mark stared as Anti’s form calmed back down until it looked perfectly solid again. “I guess not.”

They continued to eat their bacon, an oddly comfortable silence filling the room. Mark had more questions but he wasn’t sure what was okay to ask and what wasn’t. He eyed the creature’s odd appearance, eyes wandering from the horns on top of its head down to the tip of the tail visible behind the counter. He didn’t want to piss the creature off, especially not after that display.

“I’m not going to bite your head off, you know. Feel free to ask your questions.”

Mark blinked in surprise, “I don’t…”

Anti smirked, “You’re pretty easy to read, Mark.”

Mark let out a sigh, “Sorry if any of these are rude. I’ve never talked to the Devil before.”

“Most people haven’t,” Anti snorted, “But don’t worry so much. I’m not easily offended.”

“Okay.” Mark chewed on his bacon thoughtfully, trying to decide where to start. “What are you? You almost look human but you said you’re not a demon so where does that put you on the species scale?”

“No, I said I’m not your typical demon. I’m still very much a demon, I just don’t follow the same practices as my brethren. I prefer to make trades with mortals. For example,” it gestured to the last few pieces of bacon on the plate, “You gave me somewhere to rest for the night so I gave you bacon.”

Mark nodded. “What about gender?” he paused and scrunched his nose thoughtfully, “Do demons even have gender?”

Anti shook its head, “Not really, no. We understand gender, we just don’t recognize it. In fact, most of us can change how we look and become whatever gender we like. It takes a lot of energy to do, however, so we tend to just stick with our given forms.”

“So what do you use for pronouns if gender isn’t a thing?”

“Just whatever we feel like. I’m usually referred to as he/him but in this broken form, I have no gender. The way I am, _it_ is the best way to refer to me.”

“Is _it_ really okay? Isn’t it a little demeaning?” Mark asked hesitantly.

Anti sighed, “To most people, yes. But that’s literally what I am right now. I am not a whole creature. I am just a piece of one. There’s not enough of me here to give me a proper title. So I am an _it_ until I can find another piece of me.”

Mark wasn’t too happy about it but he wasn’t about to argue. So he just nodded and continued asking questions. “That must be nice, not having to worry about gender. But can you change all parts of your body or just the basic form of it?”

Anti grinned, a couple of bits of bacon stuck between its sharp teeth. “I can change whatever I want.” It grabbed the last piece of bacon and held it up, keeping eye contact with Mark as it lifted the dish up to its neck, where a thin, red line was forming.

Mark watched, horrified, as the line grew larger until a set of razor sharp teeth and a tongue were visible. Anti snickered and tossed the bacon into its new neck mouth, swallowing it whole. The newly formed mouth licked its lips and simpered coyly. Mark rubbed his own neck uncomfortably. “Does it hurt when you do that?”

“Of course not. Why the hell would I do this if it hurt? My body isn’t real. Remember, I’m a broken fragment of something larger. This is just a form I’ve taken so you humans don’t freak out when you see me.”

“So you’re basically an eldritch abomination,” Mark concluded.

Anti frowned, “No. But if that helps you wrap your tiny mind around me, then sure.”

Mark reached for another piece of bacon but his fingers only met plate. He looked down at the empty dish. An odd sinking feeling filled his chest.

Anti looked down at the plate, as well, an odd expression covering its face. After a moment, it shook itself from its thoughts, its tail lashing against the counter. “Well, this was nice but I’m afraid I have to go now. I have three more parts floating around out there that need finding.” The creature stepped away from the counter, its form beginning to glitch again.

Just like last night, Mark had a sudden urge to stop Anti from leaving. He didn’t know what it was but something told him this creature was essential to the rest of his life. Before Anti could disappear, he yelled, “Anti, wait!”

The glitching stopped. Anti turned to him, one eyebrow raised curiously.

“Do you have to wander from empty bed to empty bed?” Mark asked, his nerves making his voice shake, “Because if you wanted to, you could just stay here. I rarely use my bed and I have no problem leaving it unmade for you. Besides, I’ve been lonely, living here by myself. It could be nice to live with someone for once.” Anti didn’t look convinced, its other eyebrow rising to join the first. Before he could say anything, Mark kept talking, “As for payment or whatever, you could help with cleaning and cooking.”

Mark’s fidgeting got worse as Anti just stared at him, its eyebrows almost touching its hairline. Eventually, the creature snorted and ran a hand through its hair, rubbing one of its horns for a moment before letting its arm drop back down to its side, “You are the strangest human I have ever met. But if you’re willing to live with the Devil, I have nothing against staying. Just as long as you’re aware that I won’t be here much. I still have to find my other parts, which is harder than most people think.”

A strange rush of relief filled Mark. “I could help you look, free of charge.” Another impulse took over. Mark wanted to slap himself. It was bad enough he had randomly decided to invite this creature into his home permanently but he didn’t have time to involve himself in the creature’s personal life.

“That won’t be necessary. It’s much more complicated than anything your brain can handle.”

More relief filled Mark at Anti’s words, despite their slightly offensive nature. He seriously needed to get his impulsive decision making back under control.

Anti settled back against the counter, now smiling with both its original and neck mouths. Mark stared at the creature, one last question forming in his mind.

“How does being split into four parts work? I mean, how are you able to think and act alone without the rest of you?”

Anti’s eyebrows scrunched together, “That’s a tough one.” There was a small silence while the creature thought. “Imagine it like a pitcher of water. If the pitcher is full, that water is one mass. If you pour the water into separate glasses, each of those glasses becomes its own mass but it’s still the same water from the pitcher. So if you pour that water back into the pitcher, it will fill the pitcher back up to where it was originally. Nothing was taken away from the original mass and nothing was added. It was just separated into different masses. Does that make sense?”

Mark nodded slowly. “I think so. But what would happen if somebody drank from one of the glasses?”

Anti’s face dropped. “Then when the water got poured back into the pitcher, something would be missing. Let’s just say if that happened, it wouldn’t fair well for me.”

“Then the faster you find your other parts, the better.”

“Exactly,” Anti muttered, “I’m just worried it’s already been too long.”

Mark tilted his head, “How long have you been looking?”

Anti met Mark’s eyes, his bright green irises almost appearing brighter as they filled with worry, “A little over two thousand years.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have questions, requests, or just want to chat, come talk to me on my tumblr, [theawkwardladyjay.tumblr.com](http://theawkwardladyjay.tumblr.com/)


	3. Deal with the Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a visitor in town and Anti is not a fan. Mark realizes he is way in over his head. Though he should have realized that when Death shows up at his door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHO ISN'T DEAD!!  
> Surprising, I know. Sorry about the long, long wait for this chapter. But this is a longer chapter so that makes up for it, right? Right?
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy!

Anti was a considerate roommate. It kept its promise and cleaned up after itself. It was careful not to wake Mark up when it came home in the early hours of the morning. It also made breakfast every morning. Mark definitely didn’t complain about that one. Anti was excellent at cooking and it could make some killer pancakes. After two weeks of their arrangement, Mark came to a conclusion. Living with the Devil was surprisingly normal.

Until it wasn’t.

Really, Mark should have expected something weird to happen. He had invited literal Satan to be his roommate. But he had always been a little too trusting of the stranger things in life.

So when Anti stormed into the house, tail lashing and form spazzing in and out of sight, Mark was immediately concerned. He had never seen the demon so worked up about anything. It stomped past his place on the couch and faceplanted into the carpet.

Mark raised an eyebrow. “Someone had a nice day.”

Anti mumbled what was probably curses into the rug.

Mark couldn’t help but laugh. There was something oddly funny in watching the actual Devil act like a petulant child. He put his phone on the couch beside him and leaned forward. “What’s the matter?”

Anti’s tail lashed, the pointed tip barely missing Mark’s shin. He grimaced at the near miss and scooted away slightly. Anti grumbled into the carpet again before pushing itself up, rolling its butt onto its heels and looking at Mark grumpily. “There’s another demon in town. He’s an absolute dick and I hate him. We ran into each other today and while he was talking my ear off, he revealed that another bitch ass piece of shit is going to be showing up here in the next couple of days.”

“Okay…” Mark drawled, trying to put two and two together, “And that has you in a bad mood because…?”

“Because he’s my sworn enemy! My nemesis! The one that would complete me by no longer existing! The single demon in the entire universe that knows I’m not complete! He’s an asshole who uses that to his advantage every chance he gets and I do not have the time to deal with his bullshit.”

Mark had not been expecting that. He leaned back against the couch, unsure what to do now. He knew that there were other demons in the world, of course he did, but it had never occurred to him that they would out Anti. Not for the first time, he wondered what exactly he had gotten himself into.

“Will he be able to find you, though? I mean, surely he won’t suspect that you’re living with a lowly mortal.”

Anti glared at him. “He knows all about my predicament. It won’t be hard for him to find out who’s bed I’m using for the night.”

Mark swallowed. “Is he a…threat? To me, I mean? Basically, is he going to kill me when he finds you? Cause I’m not going to lie, death is not really on my agenda at the moment.”

Anti rolled its eyes. “He won’t touch you. You’re not important enough for him to bother right now.”

“Gee, thanks,” Mark mumbled. “Is there a way to stop him from finding you? Like a banishment ritual or something?”

Anti looked at him blankly. Mark tried not to focus on the bright green of its eyes, or how pretty its face was. He didn’t need to be thinking about that right now.

“A banishment ritual? What the fuck is that supposed to be? What, you think pouring a little salt in the doorway and drawing squiggly lines will keep the demons away? Some iron and holy water to the face will stop Death from walking through those doors?”

“With that attitude, it certainly won’t,” Mark grumbled back. “And don’t take your problems out on me. I’m the one who gave you somewhere to-” Anti’s words finally filtered through his mind and he stopped, the blood drained from his face. “Did you say Death?”

Anti nodded, his mouth set in a thin line.

“Death, as in the Grim Reaper? The man with the scythe and the big, ugly cloak? The collector of souls? You mean that Death?” His voice was a few pitches to high but he didn’t really care.

Anti nodded again. “Now you see where I’m coming from.”

Mark let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. “Great. This is exactly what I needed. Nothing like Death and Satan having a tea party in your living room to spice up life a little bit.”

Anti was silent for a few moments. When he spoke, he almost sounded uncertain. “If you want me to leave, just tell me. I won’t force you to deal with my problems.”

Mark thought about it. Kicking Anti out would get rid of this new feeling of impending doom. But without the demon, he would go back to being lonely. He opened his eyes and leaned forward again, staring at Anti intently. He had to admit that the demon was beautiful. The eerie glow of its horns and the intense color of its eyes made its face hard to look away from. Then there were its hips and those long legs that accentuated its thin torso so well.

The offer it had made him that first day still wandered through his mind every now and then. He wasn’t proud of it, but a part of him wanted the demon to stay just in case that deal was still a thing.

But also because Anti made the best bacon Mark had ever had. That was the main reason. Yeah, definitely the main reason.

“I don’t want you to leave,” he said, finally, “But I need you to promise me that I’m not going to die because other demons are looking for you.”

Anti frowned but nodded. “I can’t promise that but I can promise that I will protect you the best I can. How’s that?”

“That’s good enough for me. Now let’s talk about something less stressful. Like television.” He flicked the TV on before Anti could argue. The demon grumbled something but sat back against the couch. The rest of the evening was wonderfully quiet.

A few days later, Mark swung into the apartment and hollered, “I ordered pizza! It should be here in a few minutes.”

The sound of Anti scrambling from the couch was followed by, “Does it have pineapples on it?”

Mark scrunched his nose with a little shake of his head. “Ew, no. What kind of an abomination do you take me for?’

“Hey! Pineapple on pizza is delicious. You’re just a heathen.”

“You take that back right now.” He wandered into the living room, where Anti was hanging upside down from a couch cushion. He grinned and pounced on the demons partially exposed stomach before it could do anything to stop him.

Anti squealed and struggled to get away from the tickle attack but its upside down position made it difficult.

“Take it back!” Mark cried, dancing his fingers across Anti’s soft stomach. “Pineapple on pizza is an atrocity!”

“No! It’s delicious and you can’t change my mind!”

Mark continued tickling his demon roommate until the sound of the doorbell echoed through the apartment. He sprang off Anti and raced to the door, yelling. “It’s here!”

He swung open the door, broad smile in place. It quickly disappeared.

 A man stood on the other side. Wavy black hair partially covered one deep red eye. A fine, black suit hugged his muscular body. He adjusted his hold on a silver-tipped black cane so he could tighten his tie. “Good. I was worried I would get the wrong house.”

Mark blinked. His eyes were having trouble focusing on the man. Staring directly at him caused flashes of red and blue to dance around him. Eventually, Mark focused on a spot just to the side of the man’s head. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

The man smirked. “I think you were. I doubt you were expecting me, however.”

His voice was impossibly deep. Mark could feel it reverberating down his spine. “Look, I don’t think you have the right address. Who’s place are you looking for?”

“I’m looking for Anti.” The man growled, “Won’t you invite me in?’

Something told Mark that he shouldn’t let this man know that Anti was here. He leaned nonchalantly against the doorframe and raised his eyebrows. “Never heard of them. Sorry.”

As if it knew they were talking about it, Anti chose that moment to barge into the conversation. “Mark, what’s taking so long? I’m hungry!” Its eyes landed on the man and immediately, its face fell. “Motherfucker,” it hissed.

 “You haven’t changed a bit since I last saw you.” The man growled.

Mark didn’t know what was going on but he knew that it was not good. He inched in front of Anti, doing his best to block it from the man’s view.

Anti was having none of it. It pulled Mark away from the door, ignoring his indignant yelp. It stepped forward and stood nose to nose with the man. “What the fuck are you doing here, Dark?”

“I figured I would drop by and see your new place. Wilford said you found yourself a mortal.”

“Fuck Wilford,” Anti growled, “You’re not one to just drop by. What do you want?”

Dark grinned. “What a smart little demon, you are. There is something I need to talk to you about. But first, it would appear your pizza has arrived.”

Mark poked his head out the door and, sure enough, there was a guy holding a pizza box. He looked back at Dark and frowned at his smirk. “You timed this whole thing, didn’t you? How dramatic can you be?”

Dark shrugged, his smirk never leaving. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer too.”

Mark shook his head and muttered a quiet, “Unbelievable,” as he stepped around Dark and pulled out his wallet. “Then get inside. I’ll take care of this.”

By the time he stepped back inside, the two had managed to piss each other off. Anti was standing in the living room, tail lashing violently, teeth bared and fists raised. Dark was standing a few feet away, much calmer. However, his grip on the cane had tightened, his knuckles gone white.

He frowned at Anti and rumbled, “Why won’t you just listen? This is important, to all of us.”

Anti sneered at him. “I’m done with the stupid council. I don’t care what you have to say. I want nothing to do with it.” It noticed Mark standing in the entryway and took a few steps toward him. “Mark, kick him out. He’s being a dick.”

“I am trying to he-” Dark started to brush an agitated hand through his black hair. A low ringing had started to echo around the apartment.

Anti held its hands over its ears and started to shout. Dark’s fist balled in his hair and for a moment, Mark thought he might tear it out. Then he took a deep breath and lowered his hand back down to his cane. He glared at the still yelling Anti, the cane shaking in his clenched hands. The ringing grew louder and higher pitched, until Mark was sure his ears were bleeding. Dark continued to glare at Anti. Eventually, when the ringing was loud enough that Mark could feel it shaking his brain, Dark raised his cane a few inches off the ground and slammed it back down.

Everything went silent.

Anti stared at him in shock.

Mark rubbed his ears in relief.

Dark rolled his neck. The crack was audible. “I found one of your pieces.”

Anti glitched several feet in his direction, his whole body stiff.

“But it’s not in good condition.” Dark continued. Anti visibly deflated. “It’s convinced itself that it’s a mortal with a medical degree. It’s currently living in Germany, where it has performed more medical malpractices than anyone else in history.”

Anti glitched softly. “So it’s broken.”

Dark nodded. “Yes, it’s broken.” A silence fell between them. He looked like he was waiting for Anti to say something but when the demon never did, he sighed. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

Anti nodded. “He’s not actually dead.”

“Yes. I had heard rumors of his return, low-level demons muttering about his resurrection. I hadn’t dared believe it. But this proves it. No one else could break one of your pieces so thoroughly.”

Mark looked between the two of them, eyebrows drawn together. He stepped between them and hollered. “What is going on?! Who are you talking about? And,” he pointed at Dark accusingly, “Who the hell are you?”

Dark blinked in surprise. “I figured that would be obvious. I’m Death.”

Mark stared at him in disbelief. “Oh right, of course. How did I not know that the fucking Grim Reaper was standing in my living room? It was so bloody obvious!”

Anti placed a calming hand on Mark’s shoulder. “Dude, calm down. I told you he would probably drop by, remember?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t think it would actually happen. It was a what-if scenario,” Mark muttered. “But that’s beside the point. What the hell is going on?”

Anti sighed and picked at one of its horns. “It’s a long story but I’ll try to give you the short version.” It settled onto the couch, tail flicking erratically. “There used to be a council of demons that acted as the leaders of the demons. We, Dark and I, were both on it, along with several other high-level demons. One day, a member of the council decided having partial control of every demon wasn’t good enough and he tried to demolish the council. He did a pretty good job, took out most of us. But I wasn’t having any of it.

“Back then, I was one of the more powerful demons, even more powerful than Dreary Darky here. I fought him and I almost won. But he got a hit on me, something I never imagined he would be able to do. That’s when I got split. He worked some kind of curse and tore my soul into four parts. It left me useless, a hunk of meat just waiting to be skewered. Dark and Wilford were able to finish him off and, in the process, save me.”

It paused for a moment and stared at the ground, its eyebrows furrowing angrily. “We all thought he was dead. But if my pieces are being broken, there’s no doubt he’s still alive. No one else would be able to steal my power from them, at least not enough to damage them so thoroughly.”

“And that is how he survived,” Dark interrupted. “We thought splitting you into pieces was just his final act of revenge but I spoke with Wilford and he thinks it has more to do with gaining strength from your broken pieces. He’s using them to return to his full power.”

“Which is why we need to find the rest of them before he does. But first, collecting the piece in Germany.” Anti turned to Mark, eyebrows raised. “Are you down for a trip to Germany?”

Mark didn’t let himself think about it. He shook his head. “Nuh-huh. Not me. Sorry, man, but you can count me out for this one.”

Anti rolled his eyes. “Come on, Mark! It’ll be an adventure! Besides, you don’t have to worry about getting killed. I promised I would protect you, remember?”

Dark stepped forward and placed a hand on Mark’s shoulder. A jolting chill spread from the contact, making Mark shiver. Dark stepped back after a moment and adjusted his lapels. “If you go, I can assure you that you will not be killed.”

“Okay, so I won’t die but what about everything else?” Mark exclaimed. “I can’t just leave everything and go to Germany! There are plane tickets to be bought, which aren’t exactly cheap if you were wondering. And my plants! Who will take care of my plants?”

Dark eyed the shriveled succulent sitting in the corner. “You mean your dead plants?”

Mark pretended he didn’t hear.

Anti heaved a sigh and slumped forward. “You are exhausting. We’re demons, Mark! We can do whatever the fuck we want with nearly no consequence. Stop worrying about the little, mortal things and get on our level.”

Mark stared at it. At first glance, it looked annoyed but he could see the desperation hidden in its green eyes. He sighed and dragged a hand down his face. “Okay, fine, I’ll come. But you owe me.”

Anti giggled and clapped its hands together. “Alright, let’s fucking do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you can come chat with me at my tumblr, [theawkwardladyjay](http://theawkwardladyjay.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> Have any questions, prompts, complaints, or just want to chat? I'm always open to talk over on my tumblr, [theawkwardlady.tumblr.com](http://theawkwardladyjay.tumblr.com/)


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